


give me love

by kinkynewt



Category: The Maze Runner (2014), The Maze Runner Series - James Dashner
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Gay, M/M, Teacher-Student Relationship, college!gladers, idk what to tag, professor!newt, student!Thomas
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-17
Updated: 2015-07-18
Packaged: 2018-03-18 07:40:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 13,347
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3561629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinkynewt/pseuds/kinkynewt
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Thomas’ eye twitched. His professor looked exactly like Newt at the club- wait, he was Newt from the club, wasn’t he? “If you’d all like to get your textbooks out we’ll begin-” Mr Isaacs stopped, his eyes on Thomas. The brunet froze on the spot. The two made eye contact. Okay, Thomas knew for sure now that it was Newt, he would never forget those eyes that stared at him.</p><p>or "oh my god the guy who I grinded on at the club is actually my college professor".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> HELLO!! this is from another au I did with Rosie (@grantgustins on twitter) (we did the stripper au together, if you haven't read it yet, you totally should. it's on my profile) i hope this chapter isn't too bad as I kind of had to write it in a rush, but yeah i hope you guys enjoy it :-)

Thomas wasn’t one for clubs or dancing or drinking in general, but he knew that this was the best (and by best he meant the most convenient) way to mix in with the locals. This was why he was in a sweaty club at nearly eleven at night.

He had recently moved to Denver a week ago for college, and with no friends or family near him, he felt a bit lonely. College started in another week and Thomas saw no harm in getting drunk for the first time.

The club was dark, except for a few strobe lights. A band was playing at the front of the club and everyone was hopping and bopping to the beat, either drunk or high. The room was extremely smoky and smelt of alcohol and sweat.

Thomas almost crashed right into a couple who were making out, but he dodged right in time. He let out a sigh of relief only to yelp again as a group of boys who were too enthusiastic with their dancing stepped into him, sending him to the ground.

He muttered curse words under his breath. His night was going _amazing_ so far. But on the other hand, this was way more exciting than the last few years of his life.

Thomas knealt up and brushed himself down. Just as he was about to stand up on his feet, he saw a hand outstretched towards him. Thomas looked up in confusion. A tall, lean and muscular guy with blond hair was standing above him, hand still outstretched with a small smile on his face.

Thomas raised an eyebrow in surprise and hesitantly accepted the hand, his own slowly slotting into it perfectly as the guy pulled him up. “Thanks.” He said, looking at the guy properly.

The man had shiny blond hair, deep brown eyes that were like pools of chocolate and a sharp jawline. He was wearing a white button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, like he just came out of an office. Also, he was incredibly attractive.

“You’re welcome.” He had a British accent too.

Thomas nodded at him, his eyes were sparkling under the flashing lights, a grin lingering on his lips as they stared at each other. The brunet nodded again and rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly before walking towards the bar. How else was he supposed to react?

Thomas had only just reached the bar when the guy’s voice sounded from behind him, “Hey!” The blond guy was standing beside him, eyes studying him.

Thomas attempted a smile back, folding his arms and leaning on the counter. He was always so awkward and quiet in new social situations, it was embarrassing. Especially when he was talking to an amazingly attractive man.

“You look kind of lost.” The blond man chuckled, eyes crinkling as he smiled.

Thomas shrugged and looked him up and down again. His earlier observations were correct, the guy was handsome, very handsome. “Yeah, I just moved here a week ago.”

“Ah,” the guy nodded, “well, me too actually. I moved a month back. It doesn’t take long to get used to this place.” Thomas averted his eyes away when the blond said, “Can I get you a drink? As a welcome to Denver celebration?”

Thomas’ heart sped up. Was this usually supposed to happen in clubs? Do people usually buy others drinks? What if the drink was spiked?

“Oh well,” Thomas felt his cheeks unwillingly heat up, “I can’t-“

“Aw come on! Don’t be a spoilsport!” In the end, the guy ordered him a scotch and Thomas accepted it, frowning. The stranger took a seat beside him and he thanked him.

Thomas nervously sipped at the drink, aware that the guy was staring at him. He suddenly felt self-conscious. Should he have worn those leather pants Aris had gotten him back at home?

On impulse, Thomas downed the drink and folded his arms on the table, eyes crinkling up as the drink slid down his throat. “Hey, what’s your name?” He turned towards the guy who had spoken up.

“Uh…” Thomas was decisive on giving a complete stranger his name. It didn’t matter if he was attractive, or if he had bought him a scotch. He could secretly be a kidnapper.

The stranger sat with his back against the bar, his cup of beer raised to his lips. “Well, I’m Newt, guy-with-no-name.” He smiled and took a long swing of the beer.

“Hi, Newt.” Thomas said. He turned back to face the bartender, drumming his fingers against the counter top. The guy- Newt, got up to dance. Thomas looked with raised eyebrows as the blond stretched, causing his shirt to ride up and expose a bit of his skin.

Thomas sub-consciously licked his lips, and turned to the bartender again, asking for a strong drink. As he waited, he kept throwing glances over his shoulder to look at Newt.

Newt had his hands up in the air as he danced to the music, head thrown back. Thomas couldn’t help but laugh at the slightly funny and slightly sexy sight, shoulders shaking. His drink was slid over to him at that moment, and he took a sip of it. Newt was looking at him, smirking.

Newt waved his hand at Thomas, obviously asking him to join him on the dancefloor. Thomas would have _loved_ to join him, except that he was horrible at any form of dancing. He held up his drink and shook his head, earning an eye roll from the guy.

After many amounts of ushering and beckoning from Newt, Thomas sighed in defeat and gave in. He quickly gulped down the rest of his drink before placed a few bills on the counter and slowly strolled to Newt.

The guy laughed, throwing his head back again to show his sweaty neck off, “I knew you’d come.”

Thomas looked around at all the other people who were dancing similarly to Newt. He ran a hand through his hair, bopping to the music. “I’m not really clued-up on this whole night club dancing thing.” He called over the music.

“Let me show you.” The blond replied and winked at him.

“What- _oh._ ” Thomas said but was cut off as Newt grabbed his waist and pulled him closer towards him. Thomas awkwardly held his hands out to the side as the guy began to shimmy down his body. The brunet gasped in a breath of air as his lips went dry.

Thomas felt his cheeks flare up, and his pants tighten uncomfortably. He was so confused. Why was the guy doing this?

Newt stood back up and danced around Thomas, “Come on, guy-with-no-name. Dance with me!”

Thomas chuckled as he looked around at him, “I don’t know… Maybe dancing isn’t my thing…”

Newt raised his eyebrows and grabbed Thomas’ hand and moved it about in a wave. “Dancing is _everyone’s_ thing.”

Thomas rolled his eyes and shrugged, “Yeah well, not mine- WOAH!” Newt had suddenly pulled him even closer to him.

The guy looped his hands around Thomas’ waist and began grinding his hips against him. If Thomas wasn’t blushing before, he sure was now. The feeling of their crotches grinding together was incredible, and it made his pants tighten even more.

“Oh wow. Oh god.” Thomas breathed out. His whole body suddenly felt hot and sweaty. He swallowed the lump in his throat and really hoped that what was happening _down there_ wasn’t too embarrassing. He was pretty sure that Newt was having the same problem too.

Newt laughed and his eyes crinkled up again. Thomas personally thought that the guy’s laugh was like frosting on a beautiful chocolate cake, he couldn’t get enough of it.

Thomas didn’t even know this guy and here he was, grinding on him and comparing his freaking laugh to _chocolate cake._ He cleared his mind of the thoughts and began to reciprocate the movements lightly, arms not knowing where to go. Newt took them and gently put them on his shoulders. Thomas blinked, it was almost as if the guy could read his mind.

“Well… Uh…” Thomas tried to find the words to describe what they were doing, “This is… fun?”

Newt grinned and tilted his head back, listening to the music. Thomas wondered if this was what life was here. Clubbing, along with cute guys buying him drinks and grinding on him. He didn’t really mind.

Newt’s hands slowly travelled to Thomas’ waist, softly rubbing circles on the skin. Thomas looked down at the hand and back up at the blond, who had his eyes closed, lost in the music,

Thomas’ eyes looked at his pink and plump lips, before going down to look at his inviting neck. He gulped as he studied Newt and he repeated his earlier thought in his head. Newt was beyond attractive, and maybe getting pushed over had been a stroke of luck. 

Newt’s eyes were open again, and he pulled their hips closer together, so that their lower regions were rubbing together. Thomas swallowed hard and grasped his upper arms tightly, feeling very turned on at that moment.

The guy’s slender hands held Thomas’ waist tightly, so that if Thomas wanted to move (he didn’t), he wouldn’t be able to. The brunet’s breath hitched as Newt’s tongue darted out to lick his lips, eyeing Thomas’ lips.

Thomas gently removed Newt’s hands from his waist before pulling back, scanning the room for where the bathrooms were. He didn’t say anything to the blond as he walked backwards towards there, giving an apologetic look to Newt before rushing to the bathroom.

Thomas pushed open the door of the bathroom, breathing heavily as he stood in front of a sink. He ran the cold water over his hands and face to freshen himself up and he watched in the mirror as the last person left a bathroom stall, exiting the room.

Thomas quickly checked to see if anyone else was inside the bathroom, and when there wasn’t, he went inside a stall. He locked the door and put down the toilet lid and just sat on the top, shaking his leg up and down.

The alcohol was starting to kick in. What had just happened back there? Thomas swore that he wanted to kiss the breath out of Newt earlier, and he was sure that Newt wanted to too. But now… everything seemed blurry and all he wanted to do was sleep.

Thomas heard the door open and a familiar British accent reached his ears, “Guy-with-no-name? You in here?” Thomas cursed under his breath. He needed to get out of there, somehow.

He pulled his feet up to his chest, so that if Newt peeked under the stalls he couldn’t see his feet. After a few seconds, Thomas heard him sigh before the door opened and slammed shut again.

Thomas let a long breath out and let his legs drop to the floor, pulling at the collar of his shirt. Things had gotten a little too close out there. With the grinding and the erections and the way Newt was looking at him, would things have gotten a lot more serious? Thomas knew he could not go back out there again, it was far too awkward.

Thomas shook his head. His mind and thinking felt clouded, it must be the alcohol. He decided to focus on more important things, like how was he going to get out of the club? Newt could be waiting for him outside.

Thomas groaned and stood up, his head starting to throb. He opened the door slowly, peeking out. No one was in the bathroom, much to his relief. Thomas decided to just fuck it, and just run out of the club as if nothing was wrong. _Great plan, Thomas!_

He washed his hands before tiptoeing to the door, opening it. The loud music of the club immediately blared out, and Thomas squinted around to see if Newt was anywhere to be seen. He wasn’t.

Thomas didn’t know whether to be relieved that he didn’t have to face him, or disappointed that he wasn’t looking for him anymore. He just decided to brush it off as he pushed through the crowd towards the exit.

As Thomas placed his hand on the door and walked out, he failed to notice the blond on the dance floor sadly watching as he left.


	2. Chapter 2

Thomas’ alarm clock beeped noisily, the brunet flinging his hand out and slamming his hand a few times on the bedside table before finally hitting the clock. He sat up straight and groaned, looking over to look at the time. It was six in the morning, on the first day of college. Why did he do this to himself?

It was far to early for Thomas to wake up, almost tripping in the shower and practically poking himself in the eye with his toothbrush. After an agonising half an hour of choosing an outfit, he changed into a plaid shirt and his best pair of jeans. He wanted, no needed, no make a good impression on his first day.

After styling his hair up and looking over himself in the mirror, making sure that there was no stains or rips in his clothes, Thomas went into the kitchen. He made himself a ham sandwich (not without almost cutting himself) and coffee, and ate it as he packed his bag for his first psychology lecture.

Thomas knew that he needed to work very hard for his degree, he had barely gotten into this course and honestly did not deserve it. He double checked that he had packed all his textbooks and exercise books before he left his dorm, heart pounding with excitement.

His dormitory was right at the edge of campus, and the lecture hall he was supposed to be at was at the opposite end. That was great. Thomas walked for fifteen minutes in the scorching heat, breathing in and out heavily by the time he got to the class.

Some people were mingling around outside, either talking to each other or waiting for their friends to arrive. Thomas was suddenly struck by a pang of loneliness. None of his friends had went to his college, and even if they did, they would have taken different courses. So not only did he have to get good grades, he needed to make new friends. Thomas cleared his head, he needed to stop thinking about his problems and focus on the future? When did he get so optimistic?

Thomas walked into the lecture hall. Most people were already there in their seats, and he walked up the steps to the last row to take a seat. A few seconds after he had settled down, a buff Asian boy sat beside him. He had an impressive quiff, like it stood up like a wave.

Thomas smiled to him and he bent down to get out his notebook and pen, clearing his throat. The boy looked over at him, eyes drifting to his pen. “Hey uh,” he held out his hand, “I’m Minho.” Thomas looked at him and sat up straight. “Oh, sorry. I’m uh, Thomas.” He grinned and took the boy’s hand.

As the warning bell rang, the people who were standing outside filed in, and Thomas expected that the professor would be here soon. The Minho guy nudged him, asking to borrow a pen and Thomas furrowed his eyebrows. First day of college and he didn’t have a pen, nice. As if Minho could read his thoughts, he spoke quickly, “I dropped it along the way. Sorry, dude.”

Thomas nodded as he reached into his bag to search for a pen, and when he sat back up again, he realised the whole class was quiet as the professor had entered. He was sorting out his papers at the front desk. After a few seconds, he finally looked up, “Welcome to your first day of college.” Thomas frowned, that accent seemed strangely familiar and he thought of the Newt guy at the club. It couldn’t be him, right?

Thomas leaned forward and stared at the man who was writing his name on the board, his back turned towards the class. The man had blond hair too, just like Newt’s. But it was probably a coincidence, there are tons of blond British guys in the world. “My name is Mr Isaacs and this is the first lesson of your three year psychology class.” the man turned around, smiling softly.

Thomas’ eye twitched. His professor looked exactly like Newt at the club- wait, he was Newt from the club, wasn’t he? “If you’d all like to get your textbooks out we’ll begin-” Mr Isaacs stopped, his eyes on Thomas. The brunet froze on the spot. The two made eye contact. Okay, Thomas knew for sure now that it was Newt, he would never forget those eyes that stared at him.

This was bad, very bad. Thomas slowly slid down his seat, trying to tear his eyes away from Newt but failing to. The blond cleared his throat and looked away from Thomas, “Uh, sorry about that. If you get your books out we’ll begin chapter one.”

Thomas opened his book to the page and sighed, putting his head in his hands. What the hell was happening? He already had enough problems to deal with, with all his grades and his lack of social life. But now he had to deal with his psychology professor whom he danced with at the club. Not only that, but they grinded on each other! Their clothed cocks rubbing against each others!

During the lesson, Thomas tried to pay attention to the basic starter information but he couldn’t, not when Newt was taking glances at him every minute. Instead he doodled on his notebook, making little sketches of his friends, Aris and Brenda back home. It’s not like he missed them or anything, he didn’t think about how they’re going at every second, even though he probably should.

The bell rang, signalling the end of class. Thomas stood up and packed his things, when suddenly Newt coughed, Uh, the guy sitting in front of Teresa!” Thomas looked at him and realised that Newt was talking about him. He looked around at Minho then back to Newt, who continued, “Please, could you see me?”

Minho shot Thomas a suspicious look at him before he left, and soon the whole hall was empty except for him and Newt. Thomas sighed and walked down the steps to stand in front of Newt’s desk.

Newt swivelled around on his chair and faced Thomas. “So… Thomas…” He started, clearing his throat again. Thomas took a deep breath and said, “Yes, Mr Isaacs?” Maybe if he pretended that he didn’t know what was Newt talking about, he would forget about it. Hah, fat chance.

Newt looked Thomas in the eye and gulped, “I, uh, would like to formally apologise for my behaviour last night at that club.” Thomas felt his cheeks heat up, so much for pretending. He awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, “Um, it’s okay.”

“The reason I go to that place is because no students go there, and it turns out that I was wrong.” Newt’s face was getting redder and redder. “Oh well um,” Thomas shrugged, “it’s not like you knew that I was a student.”

Newt nodded and picked up a pen, twirling it around with his fingers, “Well, yes. But I’d like to pretend it never happened.” Thomas nodded, remembering the previous night all too clearly. The thin layer of sweat on Newt’s neck, how pink his lips were and how hot it made him feel when they were dancing.

“Sure thing, sir.” Thomas nodded and shuffled uncomfortably on the spot, “Can I go now?” His chest felt tight, and the longer he stayed in the same room with Newt the worse it would get.

Luckily, Newt nodded and dismissed Thomas with his hand, and latter quickly shuffling out of the room. Once he was outside, Thomas took a deep breath. He needed some air. Surprisingly, Minho was waiting for him outside. He said, “So? What happened?”

Thomas frowned, he wondered why this guy whom he just met cared, “Uh, just briefing me on the course.”

“Really? Then why couldn’t he brief us all? Why just you?”

Thomas shrugged, “Maybe he’s going through all of us one by one.”

Minho nodded and rolled his eyes, “Sure, okay.”

As Thomas walked to the cafeteria, Minho tagged along, talking about nonsense. Thomas sighed and sat down at a random table near the entrance, Minho following him once again. It’s not like Thomas didn’t like Minho, he just wanted to make sure his grades were up to par before getting involved in the social life at the college.

At that moment, Newt walked in and went to queue at the food counter. He and Thomas made eye contact for a second before hastily turning away. Thomas couldn’t believe this, he hoped that Newt would get over what had happened between them at the club, or else he wouldn’t be able to actually converse properly with his professor.

Minho saw the exchange between them and raised his eyebrows, “Interesting.” Thomas whipped his head around to look at Minho and he tilted his head to the side, “What’s interesting?” Minho smirked and pulled out his packed sandwich. “Nothing!” He replied in a singsong voice.

Thomas frowned as he ate his own lunch. He didn’t know what to think of Minho yet. So far, his current impression of him was that he was a carefree, funny but smart guy. He had to be smart if he could get into this college, right?

As he ate, Thomas spotted Newt various times throughout the hour but he chose to ignore him. It wasn’t that much of a big deal that they had ground on each other in that club, Thomas told himself, they had no idea who they were. It only got awkward when the cute guy he had ground on was his college professor, it was like something taken out of a reality show. But the way they had danced still made him feel flustered, Thomas had never been attracted to someone that much. His face flushed a bright red.

“Dude? Are you okay?” Minho’s voice snapped Thomas out of his daydream. Thomas sighed and ran a hand over his face, “Yeah, just tired. I didn’t get much sleep last night.” Minho nodded and two boys sat down, who fist bumped with Minho. “Thomas, meet Gally and Winston. Gally and Winston, meet Thomas.”

Winston politely shook Thomas’ hand and Gally huffed at him before speaking to Minho. “What’s your major, Thomas?” Winston smiled and Thomas automatically liked this guy, unlike Gally. “Psychology.” Thomas replied, “Though I don’t know if I’ll make it through the semester.”

“What’s wrong? Is it the teacher?” Winston asked and Thomas almost burst into laughter, thankfully only letting a giggle out. “Yeap, it’s always the teacher that puts people off. I heard the psych teacher is new, just transferred.” Winston continued.

Thomas chuckled until he realised that he was talking about Newt. “Uh, yeah. Must be why he’s so annoying.” He said.

“Annoying? How come?” Winston leant on his hand, “All the girls think he’s great.”

Thomas scoffed. He was good looking, of course they would. “Well, he held me back today in class. For completely no reason.”

Winston furrowed his eyebrows, “For no reason? Wow, maybe he is an ass after all.” Thomas didn’t reply, picking at his sandwich absent-mindedly.

“Thomas said that he was briefing him on the course.” Minho suddenly said, causing everyone to look at him.

Before anyone could say anything, the guy named Gally piped up, “He’s British, ain’t he? That means he’s naturally rude like they all are.” Winston choked on his soda and Minho glared at him.

Thomas said meekly, “He seemed nice.”

“Nah, Brits all have their heads too far up their ass.” Gally replied, looking at Thomas sternly, making the latter uncomfortable.

“Uh, okay.” Thomas coughed out and forced himself to take a bite of the bagel he brought along.

For the next five minutes, Winston went on to scold Gally about how that was out of line to say, and the reprimanding turned into a heated argument as the two got of their seats and brought the fight outside.

Thomas and Minho looked at each other awkwardly, then at the seats where Winstona and Gally sat. They were… interesting, Thomas thought to himself. Was everyone here as weird as the people he has met so far?

The two of them ended up walking out of the cafeteria as well, on the way to their accommodation. “Which dorm you in?” Minho asked Thomas, as they made their way towards the three dormitory halls.

“Uh…” Thomas looked down at his map and then back up again, “there.” He pointed to the one closest to them, a dark brown building. It seemed more like a block of classrooms instead of dorms, but at such a prestigious college like the Glade, it was to be expected.

Minho smiled happily and clapped Thomas on the back, “Hey, me too. Maybe we’re neighbours!” Thomas nodded slowly, still unsure about him. He didn’t exactly know why Minho was being so nice and friendly to him.

The two of them headed inside and after flashing their student ID cards to the lady at the front desk, they went into the lift. To Thomas’ dismay, he and Minho lived on the same floor. He didn’t know if it was a curse or a blessing.

Minho chattered to Thomas while on the way up to the top floor, and Thomas tried his hardest to tune out his voice. He was having a massive headache from wondering how to maintain his grades, the Newt problem and with Minho yapping in his ear about something irrelevant, it didn’t help much.

The lift dinged and the doors opened, both of them getting off. Minho walked a few doors down from the lift before he stopped, “I’m here.”

Thomas nodded and waved at him, Minho throwing his new friend a grin and a wave back before entering his room. Thomas let out a loud sigh once Minho was gone and he walked two doors down to his own room, fishing out his student ID card, which was also his key card.

Thomas swiped it through the card reader and pushed open the door, dumping his bag on the floor as he ran a hand through his hair. He pulled out his psychology textbook from his bag and sat at the desk in the corner of the room. Thomas put his head in his hands.

All he could think about was Newt. He didn’t even pay attention to his very first class because of Newt, and that was a very bad thing. Why did the guy he’d been ground on by and whom he had GROUND BACK ON have to be his lecturer? Thomas groaned.

Thomas slammed his head down on the thick textbook, groaning in pain as he sat up straight and rubbed his forehead. He really was an idiot sometimes. After making sure that his forehead was definitely not bleeding, Thomas folded his arms and rested his head on them. He frowned and curled his toes when he remembered how incredibly attractive Newt was at the club. And how attractive he still is.

It wasn’t that Thomas was interested in him. He huffed, it wasn’t that at all. Or was it? Thomas sighed and opened his book, maybe he should just try to catch up and study instead of wasting his time thinking about Newt.

It worked - Thomas spent the next two hours going over everything he missed in class that day, and a little bit of the next chapter, and before he knew it, it was seven at night. Surprisingly, there was a knock at his door and Thomas went to open it. It was Minho.

“Fancy going to the freshers party, dude?” Minho said, smirking as he leant against the door frame.

Thomas rubbed his eyes and looked at him in confusion, “The what party?”

“Freshers,” Minho frowned and furrowed his eyebrows, “like the newbies college party that happens tonight? Dude, you’re so out of it mentally.”

“Oh. Sorry, wasn’t thinking straight.” Thomas rubbed the back of his neck nervously. Did he really want to go to some college party?

Minho clapped (more like, slammed) his hand on Thomas’ shoulder, “Get some shoes on and come along!”

Thomas was about to protest when he realised that Minho was probably going to drag him along anyway, by force or without. “Fine.”

Minho cheered, obviously excited for the party. Thomas retreated back into his room to wear his converse and to grab his keys before following Minho out. It couldn’t be that bad, right?

 


	3. Chapter 3

Once Thomas had changed into something more presentable, he and Minho headed out, the latter talking as he walked. As usual, Thomas had tuned whatever Minho was saying out, it sounded like he was saying how his pet fish exploded or something like that.

After a few minutes of walking, they met up with Winston and Gally along the way. Thomas liked Winston. He seemed nice enough. On the other hand, Gally was… interesting. Most of the things he said were extremely controversial, and they had to repeatedly shush him when he spoke his frank thoughts along the way to the party.

Thomas took part in the conversation when a question was directed at him, but most of the time he just trudged silently beside them. The music from the middle of the campus, where the party was held, was blasting loudly from the speakers.

The party was held in what seemed to be an amphitheatre, big steps were shaped into a circle and the sunk-in middle was where the heart of the party seemed to be. The four of them walked down the steps, standing on the edge of the crowd. There was a beer keg near them and people were dancing, bumping into Thomas. It reminded him of Newt.

Where had that thought come from? Thomas ran a hand over his face, he needed to get Newt out of his system. It was a waste of time to be thinking all of these things about him when Newt had already asked him to forget about that night. Thomas shook his head to clear his thoughts, and before he knew it, he was swept into the crowd of dancers with Minho.

Bang Bang blared through the speakers. Once Thomas got a hold of his surroundings, he turned to tap Minho’s shoulder, “Are there, you know, any teachers?” Thomas hit himself in his head, why did he ask that question?

Minho shrugged as he bopped and danced to the music, “I don’t know, maybe. I heard from Winston that the teachers will be doing a dance in an hour.” They practically had to shout to each other over the booming music.

“Oh.” Thomas pathetically replied. An image of Newt dancing with someone else that was not him flashed through his mind. It made his blood boil.

“Why’d you ask?” Minho raised an eyebrow, suspicious, “A certain teacher catch your eye?” Thomas nearly bit on his tongue and he scoffed, “What? No! No way.”

Minho smirked and Thomas knew that he had dug his own grave and sat in it. The Asian said, “Who is she? Or is it a he? Is it Mr Isaacs? Was that why he held you back?” Questions fired from his mouth at rapid speed and the brunet looked at him in horror.

Thomas felt the back of his neck flush and blood rushing to his cheeks. He cleared his throat and shook his head, “No! I said no.” Minho rolled his eyes and patted his shoulder, “Yeah, right. I can even see your blush under these lights.”

Thomas frowned and shrugged off Minho’s hand, “I told you I was being held back to discuss class.”

“No, you weren’t.” Minho shot back.

“Then what did you think I did?”

Minho stopped dancing and folded his arms, “You told me he was ‘briefing’ you on the course, so you’re lying.” He made air quotes around the word and Thomas’ mouth dropped open.

“How in the world,” Thomas threw his hands in the air, “am I lying?” He said, exasperated with Minho’s questions and how he managed to see through his lies.

Minho frowned and put his hand on Thomas’ shoulder, “Dude, you’re sweating buckets and acting weird as hell. What really happened?”

“N-nothing.” Thomas didn’t understand why he was stammering, “He just had to tell me something.” Aris had always told him that the best way to get out of someone grilling you is to say the truth, but in a vague way. Thomas’ _was_ technically telling the truth, after all.

Thomas gulped and moved to stand next to Winston. Minho was far too deceptive, he always managed to ask the questions that would fumble him. Such as straight up asking him if he had a _crush_ on any of the teachers, it wasn’t as if he had a crush on Newt.

Thomas began to awkwardly nod his head to the music, bouncing on the balls on his feet. Was this how normal people danced in clubs, or was it necessary to have someone show you how, like Newt? Thomas kicked himself again. How did the blond manage to weasel into his thoughts every time Thomas tried to push him out?

As the night went on, fires on tiki torches were lit around the circle and Gally came back with red cups filled with some sort of drink. When Thomas asked what was it, all Gally did was wink at him and said that it was a ‘secret recipe’. Huh.

By then, Minho had found Thomas in the crowd again. “So, are you gonna tell me what happened or nah?” He said. Thomas groaned in annoyance and rolled his eyes, throwing his hands up, “I’ve told you _exactly_ what happened!”

Minho looked at him amusingly, “I’ll get the truth out of you one way or another.” Thomas shook his head in dismay and sighed, “Good luck with that.” He took a sip of from the red cup he was holding. The fiery liquid tasted like a mix of beer and vodka.

Minho smirked at him, making Thomas feel uneasy. He knew Minho was going to try his hardest to admit what happened between him and Newt, and it was going to take all his willpower to not say it.

Suddenly, the electric lights turned red and the song that was currently playing over the speakers stopped. Minho gave Thomas a final wink before disappearing into the crowd, leaving him alone with Winston and Gally.

The people at the front began to walk backwards, forcing Thomas to move as people were pushing onto him. He felt claustrophobic all of a sudden. “What’s happening?” Thomas yelled over the commotion. Winston leaned in and replied, “Teacher’s dance. They do it every year at the fresher’s party.”

The crowd in the middle made tons of noise as they move back, pushing Thomas and the rest to the side as they made a circle in the middle. He couldn’t really see what was happening with people blocking his view but he heard the cheers as the lecturers entered the space.

“Hey Thomas, it’s Sir Isaac!” Thomas yelped and turned to see who had said that. It was Minho, who had somehow found his way to his side again.

Thomas glared at and elbowed him in the stomach, causing the buffer of the two to let out an “oof” at impact. “What? I’m telling the truth.” Minho hissed angrily and stood on his tiptoes to catch a glimpse of Newt.

The couple in front of Thomas and Minho parted long enough for Minho to squeeze through them, pushing his way to the front. Thomas frowned and stood rooted to the spot, watching him move forward. Minho turned around to look at him, “Oi! Thomas!” The brunet stayed where he was and Minho rolled his eyes, struggling through the crowd again to pull him to the front.

Thomas tried to resist but Minho was much stronger and muscular than him and managed to pull him all the way to the front. Thomas scowled at him and turned to face the teachers who were filing into the space. Thomas spotted Newt and he gulped when he spotted the tight jeans he was wearing. His fringe was covering his eyebrows and a slight smirk was on his face. Shit.

Minho nudged Thomas with his arm, and then nodded at Newt’s direction. Thomas sighed, “I wish you would stop doing that.” The more Minho tried to force him to spill on what happened between him and Newt, the more Thomas seemed to find him annoying.

The music changed to Uptown Funk and the students cheered as the teachers got into positions and began to bop to the music. Thomas raised his eyebrows as he watched, his eyes searching for Newt. Beside him, Minho was enthusiastically clapping and he along with the rest of the crowd began to dance along too.

Thomas finally spotted Newt right at the back, blending in with the students. He wasn’t dancing, but instead watching the teachers with an amused look on his face. Newt’s eyes flickered away from them only to make eye contact with Thomas.

The brunet froze and immediately tore his eyes away. What had just happened? He quickly glanced back at Newt. He was still staring at him. Thomas gulped and swallowed nervously. Now that he was aware that Newt was watching him, he felt a lot more self-conscious and just a bit hot and bothered. Before he knew what he was doing, Thomas flickered his eyes up and down Newt’s body, taking in his lean but muscled body and his veiny arms.

Minho’s chuckle made Thomas snap out of his daze with Newt’s body. Thomas’ face burned red, knowing that he slipped up. “I knew it. You have a thing for Mr Isaacs!” Minho said with a smug smile on his face.

Thomas fumbled over his words and managed to stammer a weak “I d-don’t!” Minho smirked, he obviously knew the truth, “Right! Then why are you so nervous?”

“Stop saying I’m nervous when I’m not.” Thomas said in an uneasy tone. His face felt hot all of a sudden and he pulled at his collar in attempt to calm down the redness of his cheeks. On the other hand, Minho’s face was red from holding in his laughter, and with one look at Thomas’ face, he burst into laughter.

Thomas’ eyes widened and he punched Minho’s shoulder. “Shut up! He’ll hear.” He hissed.  “First day and you already have a crush on a teacher, this is gold!” Minho bent over with his hands on his knees in attempt to stop laughing.

Thomas glared down at him. He couldn’t believe that this guy that he just met was already doing this to him, it was like he had a death wish. Thomas looked back up at Newt. The blond was looking at them, eyebrows raised and arms on his hips. Thomas gave him a thumbs up before turning his attention back to Minho, who had finally calmed himself down.

Thomas was annoyed, pissed off and generally done with the stuff Minho was talking about. He _definitely_ did not have a crush or whatsoever on Newt, he barely knew anything about the guy! In irritation, Thomas blurted out, “I do _not_ like Mr Isaacs. I just met him in a club, for fuck’s sake!”

Thomas quickly placed his hand to cover his mouth once we realised what he said on impulse. He was shocked and horrified that he had said that out loud, and he looked at Newt just in case he heard him but he didn’t. Instead, Newt was talking to a pretty and young woman with long black hair and blue eyes, who was probably a teacher too.

A feeling brewed in Thomas’ gut, but he didn’t know exactly what to call it? Jealously? Envy? He didn’t exactly want to know what it was either. Thomas faced Minho, whose mouth had dropped opened and eyes were wide open. Minho stared at Thomas in silence for a few more seconds before he exclaimed, “You _what_?” He stood up straighter and all the alcohol seemed to disappear from his bloodstream, “Dude… _Dude!”_

Thomas swallowed, attempting to come up with a believable excuse in his mind. He didn’t think that Minho had heard what he just said, with all the loud music and people talking around them. By then, the teacher’s dance had ended and went to the sides to supervise, the students filling up the gap. He fumbled for words, “I… Uh…”

Minho interrupted him with a loud shout, “A _club?_ Our psychology lecturer is a _clubber?!_ “ Thomas whacked the side of his head and shushed him again, “Shut up-“

“Did you two, you know, do anything?” Minho interrupted him once again.

Thomas sighed and looked at Newt before turning to Minho again, shaking his head. “No, he only bought me a drink and that was it.”

“Sure it was. But still, he bought you a _drink_!” Minho laughed loudly. He seemed to find everything entertaining and funny.

“Yeah, he did. So what?” Thomas asked, trying to act casual, as if it was no big deal. It wasn’t really that hard, since it really wasn’t a big deal, right? “He didn’t know that I was a student, anyway.”

“But still, he was attracted to you!” Minho pointed out and took a big swing of his drink while chuckling softly. Thomas froze, was that the reason why Newt approached him at the club? It couldn’t be, considering how the two met was because Thomas was knocked onto the ground. But what if it was? “No, no! He was just being friendly since I just moved here.” Thomas denied.

Minho smirked and rolled his eyes, tossing his empty cup to the ground, “I’m sure you two did much more than dancing. Did you dance with him?”

“A little… but then I left.” Thomas shrugged, knowing that Minho wouldn’t take no for an answer. He felt kind of weird with how interested Minho was, but if he had to answer him to get him off his back, he would.

“Oh my god, what did you two do? Did he grind on you? I mean, he must have since everyone in clubs does that. This is _gold!”_ Minho babbled on.

Thomas’ face turned red from being reminded about the feeling of Newt grinding on him, his hands rubbing circles onto his hips, the way Newt danced around him. He gulped, his Adam apple bobbing up and down. That gave him away. “Oh… My… God…” Minho muttered, “He fucking did. You two fucking ground on each other.”

“Minho-“ Thomas was cut off by a flurry of question from the Asian.

“Did you grind back? You did, didn’t you? Did he enjoy it?”

Thomas stayed silent, he refused to answer such personal questions about what happened between him and Newt, especially since he had promised him not to tell anyone. He fucked up.

Minho put both of his hands over his mouth in excitement and leapt up in the air, one hand punching the air, “Dude! You’re having a _sexy affair_ with your psychology teacher. This… This is like the stuff of _fiction and dreams_!”

Thomas groaned and slapped his hand on his forehead, “I’m _not_ having an affair with him!” He threw his hands in the air in frustration when Minho just smirked at him knowingly.

“You totally are! Did you make out on his desk after class? Was that what really happened?! Tell me!” Minho said, his voice getting higher with every sentence. He was like a giddy puppy, blurting out questions and his eyes bright with excitement.

Thomas’ body felt hot as the image of him kissing Newt flashed through his mind. “No! We did not, he just apologised and to act as if nothing happened.”

The enthusiasm on Minho’s face disappeared just like that. “He what?”

“Yeah, so nothing happened,” Thomas reiterated, feeling pleased that he finally got off the hook with Minho, “just like I’ve been telling you for the past ten minutes.”

Minho frowned, “But it was getting good!”

“This is my love life, not yours.” Thomas shot back and Minho giggled. “Ooh, _love_ life.”

Thomas smacked his forehead for what probably was the hundredth time that night, and was about to reply when a buff red head boy stood up on the top step of the amphitheatre, “Let’s give another round of applause to the teachers for that amazing dance!” The guy was obviously very, very drunk as his words were slurred, and he proved it when he toppled down the steps right after his statement.

Thomas and Minho turned their attention back to the teachers who were waving and bowing. The pair of them clapped, Thomas much quieter than Minho’s aggressive clapped, along with loud cheering and whopping.

Thomas’s eyes flickered towards Newt involuntary. The blond wasn’t looking at him, thank god, and instead was clapping with a small smile on his face which made the corners of his eyes crinkle up. Thomas’ heartbeat quickened for some reason and blood rushed up to his face. He didn’t know why there was a warm feeling that was blossoming in his chest when he observed Newt. It worried him.

Thomas swallowed the lump in his throat and looked around before snatching a drink from someone’s hand and downed the spicy liquid in one gulp. The brunet coughed and spluttered once the he had swallowed, it tasted like a strong mix of whiskey and vodka. Minho cheered, and Thomas glared at him, silencing him. Everyone around them started dancing again as the music changed to some techno song.

Thomas and Minho drank for the rest of the night, dizziness creeping in after Thomas’ fifth cup of whatever the drinks were. He spotted Newt glancing over at him multiple times, and he didn’t exactly know how to feel about it. Thomas’ feelings for Newt were bouncing up and down. Newt made him feel warm and fuzzy, and just a thought of what happened between the two of them made him feel hot. It probably was just the alcohol.

Thomas decided to keep his distance with Newt, maybe if he just ignored him the feeling would go away. His mind felt clouded, his vision blurry. He wanted to dance with Newt, _so badly._ He wanted to feel the way he felt when Newt showed him how to dance. He wanted him to show him how to dance again.


	4. Chapter 4

“Excuse me~” Thomas hummed as he pushed Minho’s chest away from his path. It only had been an hour and a half since the freshman party had started, and Thomas was already smashed. He thanked god that he wasn’t the only one, Minho could hardly stand up and Gally was lying on the ground, asleep.

Thomas wove his way through the crowd as his eyes scanned for a specific tall, blond and lean man. Whoever had made the drinks was truly talented at mixing drinks, some people were sprawled onto the ground, knocked out. Out of the corner of his eye, Thomas saw someone thrust their hand out at him, and in the middle of the palm were two tiny white pills.

Thomas scrunched his face up and pushed past the hand. Even though he wasn’t entirely sober, he knew better than to take drugs. In the midst of his thoughts, Thomas stumbled over his two feet, then over a guy who was sitting on the ground with his head in his hands. A few people caught him and he moved forward only to trip over a stone. Thomas twirled around in a circle before falling into someone’s arms.

“Easy there. Oh, Thomas.”  Thomas looked up immediately, recognising the owner of that British accent. It was Newt, who was smiling down at him. Just who he was looking for.

“Oh! Newt~” Thomas said happily, leaning against Newt, their chests touching. Newt laughed and helped Thomas back onto his unsteady feet, one hand on his wrist and the other on his arm. “Are you drunk or something?” Newt asked and raised an eyebrow.

Thomas wobbled back closer to Newt and giggled, “Maybe.” He smiled widely at him. Newt’s hair was messed up from the windy air, blond strands flying in all directions. He looked like an angel, at least to Thomas.

Newt looked at the brunet in the eyes and chuckled, light and soft. People were dancing wildly in their drunken state, some grinding on each other, and some stoned ones doing the chicken dance. “Why aren’t you drunk?!” Thomas shouted and hiccupped halfway through. He walked his fingers up Newt’s slender arm.

Newt let out a weak ha-ha as he eyed Thomas’ fingers. He replied nervously, looking around them, “I’m a teacher, Thomas.” Thomas pushed his bottom lip out and pouted, eyes widened, “You’re no fun! Get drunk with me! You drank with me at the club~” Thomas continued to laugh weakly, moving into lean his head on Newt’s chest. He heard the blond’s heartbeat quicken.

“Uh, Thomas-“

“What’s the difference, huh? Is it because,” Thomas hiccupped again, “we’re in school?”

“Yes, I’m in a professional workspace and-“

“It’s a party!” Thomas put his hands on Newt’s chest, pushing him playfully.  He could feel Newt’s warm skin through the thin material of his shirt. Thomas felt his face heat up.

Newt gulped and tried again, “Thomas-“

“Please? For me?” Thomas said, his voice turning into a whine. Newt moved back and held Thomas at arms distance. He snatched the cup from his hand and sniffed at the contents. “What even is in here?”

Thomas giggled and shrugged, “Don’t know, but who cares when they’re having fun?” He threw his hands in the air and whooped loudly, some people even joining in to cheer with him. Newt managed a small smile and went to put the drink down on the floor, out from Thomas’ line of sight. He reached out to put a hand on Thomas’ shoulder to steady him.

Thomas moved closer to Newt yet again, “Why aren’t you drinking?”

“I told you, Thomas.” Newt turned his head away from Thomas, who was staring at his eyes for far too long to be normal. “I’m at my workplace, and I’m supposed to be supervising you guys.”

“You didn’t say that at the club.” Thomas frowned, his vision going hazy. Newt tried to put his other hand on Thomas’ upper arm, but Thomas pushed him off.

“Come on, Newt. What did you say to me last week? Oh yeah, don’t be a spoilsport.” Thomas said, putting his arms on his hips. Newt gritted his teeth, Thomas could see through the dark that his face was a bright red, “You’re drunk and you don’t know what you’re saying.”

“I’m fine! It’s you who doesn’t know what they’re saying, Newt!” Thomas said, his volume rising. He pointed at Newt’s chest and let his finger rest there. Newt swallowed.

“W-What are you-“

“You wanted me so bad at that club, you know?!” Thomas said a bit too loudly. He started to sway on the balls of his feet.

Newt cleared his throat and shushed the younger boy, “Keep your voice down, Thomas.”

“Don’t tell me what to do!” Thomas shot back but lowered his volume anyway. “You found me attractive at that club, right?”

“I’m your teacher, Thoma-“

“That wasn’t the question, Newt~ you weren’t my teacher yesterday. Did you or did you not,” Thomas moved closer and stumbled a little, “approach me in the club because you found me attractive?”

Newt gulped and made eye contact with Thomas. He said in a firm voice, “Thomas, maybe you should go back to your dorm-“

“Answer me!” Thomas shouted and people were starting to look at the two of them. Newt looked around him and pulled Thomas by his arm through the crowd, excusing people out of his way.

“Where are we going? Newt?” Thomas said in a singsong voice. Newt stayed silent, his grip on Thomas’ arm tight. They were in front of the lecture room of the Science block and Newt unlocked the door with a key, pushing Thomas inside. “We can talk here.”

“Talk? Is that all we’re gonna do?” Thomas smirked.

Newt sighed, “Get a grip, Thomas.”

Thomas leant against the wall and folded his arms defensively, “Me? Get a grip? You’re the one who approached a student half your age and-“

“I’m twenty-two, not forty, Thomas.”

Thomas ignored what Newt said and continued, “and grinded on him! You are the one who needs to get a grip!”

Newt let out a loud groan and marched right up to Thomas, shoving him against the wall, his thigh in between Thomas’ legs. “I didn’t even know you were my student, Thomas!” He said, his face close to the brunet’s. “What the hell did you expect me to do?! I went to that club because normally students don’t go there, but you were there and…” Newt trailed off and released Thomas from his position, stepping back.

“And? And what?” Thomas said, moving closer towards Newt. His heart was racing so fast, he thought it would jump out of his mouth, do a dance, and then jump back in. With Newt pushing him against the wall like that and what Newt said, it made Thomas feel hot and bothered.

Newt placed his hands in the pockets of his blazer in an attempt to be casual. “And nothing.” He said, his eyes avoiding contact with Thomas’.

“No.” Thomas’ voice softened, “Tell me. Please?”

Newt looked at Thomas for a second before looking away. “You should get back to your dorm, sober up. I can find your friends for you if you like.” Newt turned away from Thomas to walk to the door.

“Newt! Please tell me.” Thomas pleaded and rushed to stand in front of Newt.

“It’s, uh,” Newt looked at Thomas’ brown eyes, “it’s Mr Isaacs to you, Thomas.”

Shocked, Thomas moved back a few steps before regaining his composure. Did Newt really just say that? He glared at the older man, “Is this how you’re gonna be from now on?”

Newt swallowed and looked away, “Please, Thomas. Stop.” Thomas’ eyes dimmed. He didn’t know why he cared so much, or why he wanted to know so much- maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it wasn’t. “Why, Newt?”

Newt took the key out of his blazer pocket and moved to the door to open it, “Thomas, you need to go back to your dorm. I advise you to listen to me.” Thomas didn’t move and went to catch up to Newt.

“I know what you thought of me, Newt.” Thomas hissed, “But I snuck out of the club and now you’re all angry at me.”

Thomas saw Newt ball his fists up before he turned around, and in a blink of an eye, he had Thomas pressed up against the wall again, with him holding his wrists above his head. “That isn’t true.” He snapped back.

“Then why did you approach me?” Thomas asked with eyes narrowed. He started to realise their awkward position and he squirmed slightly, accidentally brushing himself on Newt’s thigh which was once again in between his legs. Thomas felt his face flare up, and he managed to choke out, “Thought that I’d be a nice fuck?”

“No.” Newt gritted his teeth, vein on his popping out. His body was pressed tightly against Thomas’ and the only one that seemed to notice was the brunet.

“Then why, Newt- sorry, Mr Isaacs, why? Why would you buy me a drink, grind on me the way you did and then follow me into the bathrooms only to leave when you couldn’t see me?”

“For no reason, Thomas. Now go back to your dorm.” Newt growled and relieved Thomas from his position against the wall. The both of them stood there for a while, staring at each other as the muffled sounds of the party continued outside.

Newt reached for the doorknob and looked straight at Thomas, “I’ll see you in class bright and early tomorrow morning.”

As the blond, walked out of the classroom, the guilt of what Thomas had done came crashing down on him. What in the world was wrong with him? Why did he act that way? He groaned as he tried to go after Newt, his head spinning around. He needed to apologise immediately. But the wall of noise hit him as soon as he left the room and he let out another loud groan, one hand moving to hold his hand and the other covered his ear. His head throbbed painfully.

“Hey, Thomas!” Thomas looked up in the direction where the voice came from and saw Minho walking towards him. He continued, “Where were you?”

Thomas screwed his face up as Minho shouted down at him. He pressed a finger to his lips and then gestured at his head, “Quiet. I can’t tell you.”

“How the hell did you get into the locked science classroom with no key-“

Before Minho could finish, Thomas made a noise and bent over, whatever he had drank that night going up his throat and onto the floor.

Minho gagged and turned his face away from the sight, “Dude! Couldn’t you hold it in?” He sighed and went to pinch his nose. Thomas stood back up groggily, swaying from side to side. Minho sighed again and wrapped an arm around Thomas’ shoulders, helping him back towards the epicentre of the party.

“Can I just go back?” Thomas said. His mouth tasted gross from all the puke and his back was drenched with sweat. Along with his latest confrontation with Newt, Thomas wasn’t feeling too good.

Minho gaped down at Thomas’ slouching figure, “The night’s still young!”

Thomas shook his head, “I’m feeling like crap after that whole thing.”

“What thing?” Minho raised his eyebrows in curiosity.

“Nothing.” Thomas muttered and Minho propped him up. “Fine. I’ll be seeing you tomorrow? Do you need me to help you back?”

Thomas dismissed Minho with his hand and untangled himself from him, “No I’ll- I’ll be alright. Just, which way is our dorm again?”

Minho laughed and pointed in the direction ahead of them, “That way, then turn right.” Thomas nodded in acknowledgment before stumbling away from Minho and the stupid party.

He took small intervals on his way back to the dorms, stopping to lean against walls and sign posts to catch his breath and to steady himself. Thomas couldn’t clear his mind of the haziness or that horrible encounter with Mr Isaacs. He still couldn’t shake off the guilt, and plus, maybe he deserved it.

After a long half an hour walk that would have normally taken fifteen minutes, Thomas finally made it back to his dorm. He slammed the door shut and collapsed onto his bed, sighing in relief. Thomas managed to wriggle out of his clothes until he was only in his underwear, got a bucket from the bathroom, some medicine and climbed under the arm covers.

Throughout the rest of the night, Thomas kept turning and twisting in bed. He kept remembering how it felt to have Newt’s body pressed against his, his wrists held in place tightly by him and how Thomas practically grinded himself on his knee. Jesus Christ was he a mess.

It was the worst night he had in a long while, the fading alcohol fuelling his agonising headache. But his thoughts wouldn’t stop flying around in that brain of his for at least a second, which made the whole ordeal worse.

Thomas compared how energetic Newt was in the club and how reserved he seemed now. Was it the fact that he was at his workplace that made him act like that? Thomas thought for a while and brushed it aside. That was a stupid thought, of course, Newt’s reasons were valid, and he was the one being inconsiderate in their situation.

Thomas sat up and slammed his hand on his alarm clock. He felt rotten to the core, he had a light sheen of sweat on his skin and he was sure that his breath was revolting. After some thinking, Thomas decided that he would skip class until he got better. Or until he decided that he was ready to face Newt in embarrassment.

For the rest of the day, Thomas stayed in bed, bundling himself up in his sheets like a human burrito. In his head, he ran over what he would say when he saw Newt the next time he went to class. Thomas knew that he needed to apologise, and he will, but should he buy flowers? As soon as the image of Thomas handing Newt some flowers were conjured up in his head, Thomas banished it away into the depths of his mind. If it wasn’t for his aching head, he would have hit himself out of stupidity.

He heard something being slipped under his door in the evening when he finally got up and went to take a shower. Thomas frowned and kneeled by the door, picking up the stack of papers and read the note pasted onto the front.

“I saw that you were absent from class today so I have given you your work and assignments set. Get well soon.”

Thomas’ mouth went dry and he bit the inside of his cheeks, a feeling he couldn’t describe building up in his chest as he read who it was from (not like he didn’t know who his professor was).

Mr Isaacs.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm really sorry for not updating for almost two months! school was really frantic and i went overseas during the whole holidays. i hope you all like this chapter. thank you so much for all your comments! :-)

Thomas dumped the folder of printed notes on his desk, his own butt flopping onto the chair. He rested the side of his aching head on his palm and sighed as he stared at the papers. Everything hurt and the last thing Thomas wanted to do was homework. Mr. Isaacs was weird. From what Thomas could remember from last night, the last thing the blond was doing was shouting at him. Now, he had delivered his homework to him himself. Had he even brought it over himself? Or had he just sent someone to send it over?

Thomas shifted his position so that he was sitting up straight and massaged his temples. Thinking of Newt walking all the way to his dorm just to pass him over the notes from that day’s lesson in concern made him happy, so he just left his thoughts at that. He could mull over it at night. Thomas spared a glance at the printed papers and sighed. He would do it later when he wasn’t feeling so gritty. But for now…

Thomas hopped back into his mountain of bedspreads and pillows enthusiastically, picking up his laptop from the ground and turning it on. Once he had assembled himself back into a burrito, he proceeded to type in the URL to Netflix, followed by putting on Mean Girls. Thomas snuggled into the covers and breathed in slowly as he watched the events in the movie unfold in front of him. Newt was a very, very weird guy, he decided.

* * *

Before he knew what was happening, Thomas’s alarm clock was ringing. The brunet poked his head out of the bundle of sheets and groaned, slamming his hand down on the snooze button. His laptop was sliding off the bed, having gone into sleep mode. Thomas made a sound of confusion as he shuffled into a sitting position. What in the world happened between watching Regina George scream about something and falling asleep?

Thomas groaned again as he stretched, shifting his body to get out of bed and stand up. He still felt absolutely terrible but took a quick shower before attempting to prepare breakfast for himself. However, it became clear after nearly slicing his fingers while making bread and butter that Thomas was in no state to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

After drinking his daily cup of coffee, Thomas brushed his teeth again and began shoving books and pens into his bag for the one-hour lecture with Newt. He was about to stroll out of his dorm when he remembered the stack of notes and hastily dumped into his bag before jogging out of the dormitories and into the outside world.

As Thomas walked to the lecture hall, he replayed the incidents that happened at the party over again in his head. He didn’t know what had come over him under the influence of that alcohol, but he definitely had crossed a line with Newt. The more he dwelled on what had happened, the more nervous he felt about seeing Newt after the party. He hoped that he would be able to apologise to him, if Newt would even listen to what he has to say. The only good thing about that day was that it was Friday.

Thomas finally made it to the hall without stumbling over his own two feet and took the seat next to Minho, who looked perfectly fine and not hung over from that party. “Hey dude, you okay?” The boy asked and Thomas nodded, bending down to take his things out from his bag.

Newt walked in at that moment, and looked at everyone but stopped when his eyes met Thomas’s. The brunet’s heart beat slightly faster and regretfully tore his eyes away. His mouth felt dry and he was pretty sure his face was turning a bright red.

“Good morning, class,” Newt said and put his bag on the front desk. “Could you all please get out your homework from yesterday? I’ll be collecting it.” Panic rose in Thomas’s chest and he winced. He had forgotten totally about his homework. Shit. Newt had given him the homework and the notes, all ready to go. He blamed Netflix.

Even Minho had his placed neatly on his desk. “Hey, did you not do the homework? It was literally a ten question quiz about yourself.” He hissed. Thomas groaned and slid down his seat slightly, “I didn’t know that it was due today!”

Minho pursed his lips and gave Thomas a pitiful look, “Sorry man, you were sick yesterday weren’t you? About five other people were absent as well. I’m sure that you’re not the only one.”

Thomas swivelled around in his chair and looked at everyone behind them. “I don’t think so.” He said sadly.

“Maybe he’ll let you off with a scolding.” Minho nudged and winked at him and Thomas covered his face with his hands, waiting for his impending doom. Not only had he crossed the line with Newt, he didn’t even do the freaking homework that the blond took the liberty of giving it to him literally at his doorstep! It would be a miracle if Thomas made it out of that day’s lecture without Newt hating him.

Newt was circling around the room like a shark, checking to see if everyone had their worksheets on their desk. Thomas prayed with all his heart and mind that he wouldn’t come over, he never really cared about religion, but maybe now was a good time to start. Newt thankfully stopped one row before Thomas’s and went back to the front of the room. “At the end of the class, please hand them into me. Now onto today’s lesson, Sigmund Freud.”

The lesson went on well, at least to Thomas. The only problem was the non-existent answers he was supposed to produce. He could do the short quiz doing class, but the quiz stated to think from the depths of your heart, and for Thomas, that meant a long time. If he did the quiz during class time, he would not be able to take down notes, and if he were not able to take down notes, he would fail his exam, and if he failed his exam, he would be expelled. So what was the more obvious choice he was going to take?

Well, Thomas took down a lot of notes, probably more than anyone else in the room (he doubted that anyone would have drawn five mind maps). Maybe, Thomas thought, these notes would be sufficient enough for Newt to let him off with a warning. Thomas groaned inwardly. Who was he kidding? He was going to be eaten by the great shark himself, and not being eaten in the way he wanted to be eaten by Newt.

After a long hour of worrying, the bell rang. People packed their bags and got out of their seats, walking down the steps to pass the quiz to Newt, who was standing at the doorway. They all lined up and once they handed it in, they left. Thomas was right at the back of the queue, empty-handed with Minho, who was in front, attempting to comfort him.

“Well, it’s your first time… Maybe he won’t be so harsh on you.”

“After what happened at that stupid freshman party? I doubt so.” Thomas said and sighed. Minho patted his shoulder and passed his quiz to Newt before heading out. Once Thomas was standing in front of Newt, the blond looked at him up and down. Thomas gulped. “Where’s your essay, Thomas?”

Thomas twiddled his fingers and looked down at the ground in embarrassment, “I didn’t get a chance to do it last night. I was sick and-“

“I know that.” Newt nodded and took out a pair of glasses from his blazer pocket that Thomas watched him put on. “But they were easy questions about yourself. It wouldn’t have taken less than an hour.”

Thomas bit his lips and lifted his head slightly to meet Newt’s eyes, “I didn’t know it was due today.”

Newt raised his eyebrows, unamused. “Isn’t it obvious that it is?”

Thomas shook his head, “Uh, no. I’m sorry, I should’ve checked and made sure that it was. I’ve um, did a lot of notes on today if it helps.” He took out the exercise book from his bag and handed it to Newt.

The blond took it and flipped through it, stopping to look at his mind maps. He made little nodding gestures, which made Thomas fill with hope. Newt passed the notes back to Thomas. “Those are… actually very good. But rules are rules.” Newt tucked the quizzes under his arm and gestured for Thomas to follow him. He placed the papers neatly onto the table and sat down on the edge of his desk, Thomas stood in front of him nervously.

Newt nudged at the seat in front of him, “You can do the homework whilst I mark. Take a seat.” Thomas sighed and sat down, taking out the quiz from his bag. Newt leaned on the desk with the pile of quizzes in one hand, and a red pen in the other. Thomas’s eyes flickered up to Newt, who had the red pen placed behind his ear as he held the frame of his glasses, reading the first quiz. Thomas gulped and his eyes trailed down his slim body, stopping for a few seconds at the tight pair of jeans the professor was wearing that lesson.

Thomas shook his head to clear it and he glanced back down at the worksheet. Focus. He needed to focus. It looked fairly straightforward – ten short questions about the way he thought. If Thomas could just not get distracted for once, he could easily get it down in a few minutes.

As Thomas wrote he cleared his throat, causing the blond to look up at him. He said, “Hey, uh… I’m really sorry about that night at the party.” Newt raised his eyebrows again, this time in surprise.

He removed his glasses and put them in his blazer pocket again. He sighed, “It’s okay, Thomas. You were intoxicated with that weird drink they were serving and you couldn’t control yourself.” Newt folded his arms, staring down at Thomas.

Thomas bit his lip, trying his hardest to maintain the eye contact with Newt. He tapped his pen on the desk, “Well, I still crossed the line. I’m really sorry.”

Newt ran a hand through his hair and propped himself up so that he was sitting on the desk, “I said that it was alright, Thomas.” Thomas nodded and let out a sigh of relief, eyes looking back at Newt to the homework a few times. “Okay, well, thanks. And I’m sorry for missing class yesterday.”

“The more you talk, Thomas, the longer you’ll be here.” With a final nod, Thomas put his pen to the paper.

After five minutes, Thomas stood up and handed the sheet of paper over to Newt. “Can I go now? Please?”

“Let me check it quick,” Newt replied and took the red pen from behind his ear, taking the paper from Thomas. The brunet tapped his foot on the floor to the beat of Uptown Funk, watching Newt scan the page, wearing his reading glasses once more. Thomas felt something odd boil in his something as he watched Newt. He didn’t’ exactly know why, but maybe it was Newt wearing glasses that was doing something to him.

The professor twirled the red pen with his fingers before ticking all the questions and adding the paper to his stack. “See, that wasn’t so hard.”

Thomas chuckled as he slung his bag pack over one of his shoulders. “Yeah.”

Newt gave him a smile, “You can go now, Thomas.”

“Thanks, sir.” Newt nodded at Thomas and gave him a little wave. Thomas speed-walked out of the lecture hall, his heart pounding so hard that he could hear it drumming in his ears. Did Newt just smile at him? Wait, that didn’t even matter. What mattered was what the effect of that goddamn smile had on him. Newt’s eyes just… crinkled up and he shone brightly like the sun and… Oh, my god.

Thomas smacked his forehead. No, no, no. This could not be happening. He could not like Newt. Nope, it just wasn’t possible. It just wasn’t… But Newt’s smile… Before he could think any more about Newt’s smile, Thomas felt someone thump him hard on his back.

He yelped and spun around, fists raised, ready for a fight. But Thomas soon straightened himself up. It was just Minho. Thomas barely got a word out before Minho ambushed him with questions, “What happened? Did you guys do anything?”

Thomas jumped back in shock from the barrage of questions, “Dude, where did you come from? Why are you even still hanging about here?” He pushed past Minho, ignoring him as he walked away. Minho easily caught up with him. “I was waiting for you! You know, to know all the juicy details.”

Thomas huffed in annoyance. “I did the homework, handed it into him and,” Thomas poked Minho in the ribs, “got them all right. Then I left.”

Minho frowned at him, “That’s all?”

“What were you expecting?” Thomas scoffed.

“I don’t know – you telling me that he pushed you against the whiteboard and kissed you senselessly, something exciting! Not shucking homework!” Minho exclaimed, poking Thomas back in the stomach.

“You’re weird. And gross.” Thomas said. But Newt’s smile flashed through his mind again and he had to bite his lip to keep himself from giggling. That would definitely give him away.

Minho shook his head in disappointment, “Make a move on him then! Be the student that seduces the sexy teacher!”

“No,” Thomas said bluntly as he pushed open the exit from the psychology block. “You do realise that it’s illegal for a teacher and a student to have a relationship, right?”

Minho laughed and pointed at him teasingly, “But you didn’t deny not wanting to!” Thomas’s face burned a deep red and Minho continued, “See, you do want to be with Mr. Isaacs!”

“I never said that! Stop twisting everything!” Thomas said, speed walking to the cafeteria with Minho’s laughter still echoing behind him.

“You didn’t dent it! Plus, you’re blushing!” Minho called out from behind him and Thomas whipped his head around to glare at him, “I’m not!”

“Well, your cherry tomato complexion suggests differently my friend.” Minho smirked and Thomas stopped in his tracks, turning around to stare at him. Minho chuckled and jogged to catch up with Thomas and they resumed walking. “I promise you, I don’t want anything to happen between me and Mr. Isaacs.” Thomas spoke. Minho patted him on the shoulder, “Whatever you say, dude.”

Thomas rolled his eyes and he and Minho entered the crowded cafeteria, scanning the sea of people for Winston and Gally. The pair finally found them sitting near the coffee section, laughing about something but waved them over once they were spotted.

“Hey, Minho! Hey, Thomas! You two are unusually late today. What’s up?” Winston said as they sat down. Thomas couldn’t understand how the three of them looked completely normal and unaffected from the party. He was pretty sure he had eye bags the size of a Prada bag.

Minho swiped Winston’s coffee and took a swing of it, “Poor Thomas here got held back by our professor, and I waited for him.”

“The Brit guy?” Gally raised his eyebrows, which Thomas thought resembled the logo of Nike. “Why did he hold you back?”

“Thomas was a bad boy who didn’t do his homework.” Minho smirked and nudged Thomas. The brunet added, “I had to do it after class.”

Gally shook his head to himself as he leaned back. Winston sipped at his coffee, “That must suck.” Minho muttered under his breath, “Not for Thomas.”He quickly covered it up with a cough.

“Hey! I heard that! What do you mean not for Thomas?” Gally suddenly shouted and leaned in with a smirk on his face, interested.

Minho turned to Thomas and tilted his head to the side slyly, “Want to explain the story yourself?” Thomas gritted his teeth, “There is no story.” He had to control himself from snatching Winston’s coffee and throwing it at Minho.

“Hey, hey, I wanna know a good story.” Winston shifted his chair closer to them, eyes wide with excitement.

“There. Is. No. Story!” Thomas repeated, emphasizing each word. “Well you’re blushing so there must be.” Gally pointed out and Minho hummed in agreement.

Minho winked at Thomas, “Come on, dude.” Thomas shot him a sneer, brutally killing Minho in his mind. Thomas huffed. He knew that they were all hooked on hearing this mysterious story so he had no choice but to retell the story once again, leaving out some details.

By the end of it, all three of them were a laughing mess, including Minho. “That is amazing!” Winston said, pausing just to wipe a tear from his cheek before laughing again.

“I know right?” Minho spoke and hit the table with his hand and burst out into more laughter again. “So, do you like him?” Gally questioned once everyone had calmed down from their hysterical laughing. Thomas’s eyes widened and he exclaimed, “What?! No! Of course not!”

Minho scoffed and muttered, “Yeah right.” He spoke louder, “He keeps saying no but when he turns this colour,” Minho poked Thomas’s red cheek, “it’s hard to believe him.”

Thomas scowled at Minho and hissed through his teeth, “That’s because you keep putting me on the spot.” Winston and Gally shared a knowing look and whispering between themselves while Minho excused himself to get a coffee. Thomas glared at Minho’s back and let out a loud sigh. He excused himself to go back to his dorm, using homework as an excuse.

He needed some time alone to think.


End file.
